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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wound · row · rest · mark · wave · fall · bowl · wax

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. wound — an injury
  3. fall — to drop
  4. rest — what's left
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. row — a line
  8. fall — to drop
  9. wax — to grow
  10. mark — a grade
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. rest — a break
  13. fall — the season
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. rest — what's left
  17. mark — a trace
  18. row — to paddle
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. wound — an injury

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com